Regulating means for conveyers



Nov. 10, 1925.

W. T. HANNA REGULATING MEANS FOR CONVEYERS 3 Sheets -Sheet 1 Filed Dec.1, 1924 fim Hanna WC v mamm l.

Nov. 10, 1925- M w. T. HANNA REGULATING MEANS FOR CONVEYERS 3 Sheets-She t 2 Filed Dec. 1, 1924 Nov. 10, 1925- w. T. HANNA REGULATING MEANS FORCONVEYERS Filed Dec. 1, 1924 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Patented Nov. 10, 1925..

UNITED STATES WILLIAM. T. HANNA, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO.

' REGULATING MEANS FOR CONVEYERS Application filed December 1, 1924.Serial No. rsauo.

To alt whom it may concern.-

Be It known that I, WILLIAM T. HANNA,

' a citizen of the United States of America,

and a resident of Cincinnati, in the county of Hamilton and State ofOhio, have inof elevating screw conveyers which are fed from a commonsource.

Another object is to provide means for this purpose which will readilyovercome the tendency of a horizontal screw conveyer to feed in greaterquantities on the side toward which it rotates.

Another object is to provide means for the purpose stated which aresimple ofconstruction and operation.

Another object is to provide a means for the purpose stat-ed which areadapted to accurate adjustment.

These and other objects are attained by the means described herein anddisclosed in the accompanying drawings, in which:

- Fig. 1 is a fragmental perspective View of a stoker fuel elevatingstructure having embodied therein devices of my invention.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of a regulating device of my invention.

Fig.3 is a side elevational view of the structure shown in Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a plan view of a modified form of the device of my invention.

Fig. 5 is aside elevational view of the structure shown in Fig. 4.

In vertical conveying mechanisms wherein two or more vertical screwconveyors are fed from a single horizontal screw conveyor the substanceto be handled, for example coal, is necessarily forced in greaterquantity toward the vertical conveyor which is positioned at the sidetowardwhich the horizontal screw rotates, and in consequence thevertical conveyer .mentioned will receive and convey a greater quantityof fuel than one positioned on the side opposlte thereto.

The device of my invention consists of means mounted at thebase of avertical tubular conveyer whereby the size of the fuel receiving openingin such conveyor may be regulated. In its present embodiment the deviceof my invention'is disclbsed and described as applied to fuelelcvatingmonveyers of a locomotive Stoker in which a casing 7, adaptedto embrace the tire door opening of a locomotive boiler, is providedwith a pair of upright conveyor tubes 8 and 9, disposed on oppositesides of the fire door opening 10, and converging at their bases wherethey communicate with a common supply chamber 11. Conveyor screws 12 arerevolubly mounted within the tubes 8 and 9 and are adapted to carry fuelor the like from the chamber 11 upwardly therethrough. A horizontalconveyer tube and feed screw (not shown) are adapted to move fuel or thelike longitudinally into the chamber 11. The feed screw and. elevatingoonveyer screws 12 are adapted to be rotated by any suitable means suchas gears and bevel gears turning from a suitable source of power. Theupright conveyor tubes 8 and 9 carry fianges 13 adjacent their lowerextremities and upon the side toward thev chamber 11 and the walls ofthe tubes8 and 9 are cut away below said flanges to provide an opening14. The opening 14 is partially closed by means of a curved plate 15,the curvature of which partakes substantially of the curvature of thewalls of the tubes 8 "and 9. The lower edge 16 of the plate 15 isdisposed at substantially the same angle as the lead of the vane 17 ofthe conveyor screws 12. The plate 15 partially closes the opening 14 inthe end of the tubes 8 and 9 and is secured therein by means of bolts 18passing through the walls of the casings 8- and 9 and engaging inthreaded perforations 19 in the grooved edges 20 of the plate 15. Y Thegrooves 20 and ribs 21 of the curved plate 15 engage complementary ,ribsand grooves in the edges of the walls of the tubes 8 and 9 whereby theplate is given a firm mounting upon said walls 'of the upright tubes. Asshown in Fig. 2,

a sliding plate 22 is adapted to engage the inner "convex face 23 of thestationary curve-d plate 15 with its ed cs 24 in engagement wlthsuitable shoul ered grooves 25 on the plate 15. The plate 15 1s providedwith a longitudinally disposed elongated slot 26 and the plate 22 isprovided with a registering threaded perforation 27. A bolt H 28 isadapted to be passed through slot 26 and engage inthe threaded bore 27in the plate 22 and by this means the plate 22 may be adjustedlongitudinally of the plate 15. The lower edge 29 of the plate 22 isdisposed at a more obtuse angle than the lower edge 16 of the plate 15.In Figs. 4 and 5 is disclosed a modification of the reciprocal mountingof the plate 22 wherein the plate 22 is disposed upon the outer convexside of the plate -15-and the elongated slot 26 is carried by thesliding plate 22.

As will-be noted in-Fig's. l, 3, and 5 the lower edge 16 of thestationary curvedplate 15 will form the upper wall of'the openings 14 inthe tubes 8 and 9 when the sliding plate 22 is raised to its upper limitof movement. Then the plates 22 are in this position, a maximum of theupright conveyer screws 12 are exposed through the openings 14 to thefuel chamber 11. When the fuel to be fed through the conveyer comprisescomparatively large pieces of coal there is experienced very littledifiiculty in securing an even division of incoming fuel to the uprightconveyers 8 and 9 as the larger pieces of fuel will very readily rideupon the vanes 17 of the conveyer screws 12. However, when finer coal isused and especially coal wherein there is a considerable quantity ofslack, such finer coal and slack will be forced in greater quantity bythe horizontal feed screw from the chamber 11, either toward the righthand upright conveyer 9, or the left hand upright conveyer 8,accordingly as the horizontal feed screw revolves in a clock-wise orcounter, clock-wise direction. Assuming now that the horizontal feedscrew (not shown) is rotating in a counter clock-wise direction andforcing fine coal into the chamber 11 from which it will be taken up bythe upright conveyers 8 and 9, it has been found in practice that theleft hand upright conveyer 8, having the incomin fuel originally thrusttoward it, will receive a greater quantity of the incoming coal thanwill the conveyer 9. To overcome this inequality of supply the slidinglate 22 upon the conveyer 9 would be rought downwardly so as to bringits lower edge 29 farther down into the supplyof incoming coal while thesliding plate 22 upon the upright conveyer 8 would be raised so thatsome of the fine coal being pushed toward the conveyer. 12 therein wouldhave an opportunity to slide downwardly off of the vane 17, before thesaid vane carried the coal far enough to confine it within the walls ofthe tube 8 and the plate 15.

It will be noted that the adjustment of v the plates 22-is very simplyand expeditious- 1y accomplished by loosening the bolt 28, vplacingt eplate 22 witlri-ts. lower edge 29 at the desired height and againtightening the bolt 28. In practice, satisfactory regulation of the fuelsupply may be accomplished by supplying one of the devices 15 onl uponthe upright conveyer tube which is ocated upon the side toward which thehorizontal feed screw is turning, however accurate regulation can beattained by providin the sliding plates upon each of the uprig tconveyer tubes.

lVhat I claim is:

1. In a feed regulating device for conveyers the combination with anupright conveyer tube having a feed opening in the wall thereof and aconveyer screw extending revolubly through the tube and adapted toreceive a substance to be moved, which substance passes through the feedopening in the tube, of a slidable plate mounted on the tube foradjustment overthe feed-opening therein, whereby the substance to beconveyed ma be retained between the conveyer screw an the walls of thetube, and may be permitted to drop from the screw through the feedopening accordingly as the slidable plate is lowered and raised fordecreasing and increasing the feed opening in the tube.

2. In a device of theclass described, the combination with an elevatingconveyer mechanism comprising acasing having a chamber therein, conveyertubes having openings in their walls communicating with the chamber forreceiving a substance under pressure from the chamber, an elevatingconveyer screw revolubly mounted in the tube for removing the substancefrom the openings in the tube, of means mounted in the openings in thetubes for regulating the area of communication between the chamber andthe tubes whereby the substance received by the elevating screws may beretained thereon, and be permitted to drop therefrom, according to theincrease and decrease of the communication area in the tubes by theregulating means.

means for regulating communication between the chamber and the tubes.

4. In a device of the class described the combination with a casinghaving a chamber therein and adapted to receive a substance underpressure, of upright conveyer tubes communicating with the chamberadjacent the lower ends of said tubes, conveyer screws mounted in thetubes, and slidable means mounted on the lower end of each tube forregulating communication between the chamber and the tube.

5. In a device of the class described the combination ofvan uprightconveyer tube having a feed opening in the wall thereof, a

conveyer screw rotatably mounted within the veyer screw revolublymounted in the tube, tube and having a portion thereof exposed of aplate fixedly mounted upon the tube through the feed opening in saidtube, of a' and adapted to form a partial closure for plate fixedlymounted upon the tube and the 'feed opening, a movable plate mountedadapted to form a partial closure for the for slidable adjustment uponthe fixed feed opening, a movable plate mounted for plate and adapted tobe extended beyond slidable adjustment upon the fixed plate said fixedplate for increasing and decreasand adapted to be extended beyond. saiding the feed opening in the tube whereby fixed plate for increasing anddecreasing the the movable plate may be selectively profeed opening inthe tube and for covering jected beyond the fixed plate and withdrawnand exposing the normally exposed portion wholly within the body linesof said fixed of the conveyor screws in the tube, and plate. means forsecuring the movable plate in ad- In testimony whereof, I have hereuntojusted positions. I subscribed my name this 19th day of No- 6.- In adevice of the class described the vember, 1924. i combination with anupright conveyer tube having a feed opening therein, of a con- WILLIAMT. HANNA.

